Fireflies, Peach Pies & Lullabies [Hardcover]

Virginia Kroll (Author), Nancy Cote (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995 | Age Level: 3 and up

After her great-grandmother Annabel dies, Francie combats her sadness by asking relatives to record their favorite memories of Annabel, and Francie discovers that little things become the legacy of a loved one's life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2?Great-Granny Annabel spends most of her time "...staring at something no one else can see." Her family worries that she will be remembered as an empty shell of a person, but her hugs still feel good to Francie. When the elderly woman dies, Francie recalls all the special things about her. Later, at the funeral home, she asks each person there to write something about Great-Granny Annabel. People jot down memories of fireflies, her bird feeder, a poem she wrote, and her peach pies. Francie adds "lullabies" to the list. The minister reads all the memories during the funeral service, making it a real celebration of the woman's life. This is a lovely story of a child confronting the loss of a loved one and helping everyone focus on the good times rather than illness and death. It also does a fine job of showing what happens at a funeral home and service, which is not often shown in picture books. The realistic gouache illustrations are done in rich, bright hues and warmly evoke the various moods of the text. This is an excellent book to use with children to talk about death, but it also succeeds as a story.?Jane Gardner Connor, South Carolina State Library, Columbia
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. Though Great-Granny Annabel forgets family names and can no longer dress herself, Francie knows that she is far from being the "empty shell" her mother and aunt call her. Then at Great-Granny's wake, Francie sees the expressions on everyone's faces and wonders what they are remembering. Getting a piece of paper, she asks each person to write down a favorite memory; gradually, the paper fills up with thoughts of Great-Granny's peach pies, bird-feeding, and singing, among other memories. Kroll perhaps smooths over a child's reaction to living with an elderly relative who behaves erratically, but she sensitively depicts the sorrow and celebration found in remembering a beloved person on her death. Cote's gouache paintings are expressive and endearing, catching people in their variety and nicely conveying memories without confusing younger children. This will be a fine choice both for families coping with the lost memories of Alzheimer's and those facing a wake and funeral. Susan Dove Lempke

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689802919
• ISBN-13: 978-0689802911
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,696,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is a favorite book of my grandson. Very emotional for me., January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fireflies, Peach Pies & Lullabies (Hardcover)

My 5 year old grandson has to bring a book home from school each day to be read to him. I pick him up one day at school and guess what book he has. Fireflies, Peach Pies and Lullabyes. He climbs in my lap, before I even begin to read he says, "Nanny, this book will make you cry because the old woman dies". Sure enough it did. Then I have to explain why. I am a 44 year old woman and it touched my heart. The book told what we should look at instead of what we do. It is a fabulous book.

5.0 out of 5 stars life and death, June 16, 2009

By 

Lainie (Swansea, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fireflies, Peach Pies & Lullabies (Hardcover)

This is one of my favorite children's books ever. Leave it to a child to bring out the meaning of life, after a death of a loved one. The perfect book to help children with the grieving process and a reminder to everyone to remember the good things about a person, and bury the bad.